Overview

• The proposed airworthiness directive requires high-frequency eddy current or handheld X-ray fluorescence inspections of RAT forward fittings on Boeing 787-9 and 787-10 aircraft.
• Any fitting found to contain Grade 1 or Grade 2 commercially pure titanium must be replaced with the Grade 5 Ti-6Al-4V alloy specified in the design.
• Boeing has endorsed making its February 2025 guidance mandatory and affirms that in-service 787-9/10 aircraft remain safe to operate.
• The directive covers only 787-9 and 787-10 models, leaving 787-8 variants—including the plane involved in the June 12 Ahmedabad crash—outside its scope.
• Spirit AeroSystems is under scrutiny for supplying the potentially substandard titanium components, highlighting gaps in supplier oversight.